Robert Redford Is President of the United States In HBO’s Watchmen

Superhero Hype reports that during an interview at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, Watchmen producer Damon Lindelof revealed that Robert Redford will be the in-universe President of the United States in the upcoming HBO series. This is a tip of the hat to Alan Moore’s original comic. In that, Richard Nixon is the President but there is a hint that Redford will run for office. In this universe, Nixon died in office and Redford is still serving as President all the way in 2019. While there have been conflicting reports, it’s unlikely that Redford will appear as himself. There’s currently no word on who, if anyone, will play him.

Lindelof said that Watchmen will look at “what happens if a well-intentioned white man is president for far too long.”

He added: “What in 2019 is the equivalent of the nuclear standoff between the Americans and the Russians? It is race and the police. There is no defeating white supremacy — it’s not going away. There are no easy answers and grandiose solution.”

The series stars Regina King as Angela Abar, who wears two masks; one as a lead detective in The Tulsa Police Force and another as wife and mother of three. The cast also includes Jeremy Irons as the aging and imperious Lord of a British Manor; Don Johnson as Judd Crawford, Tulsa Chief of Police; Jean Smart as FBI Agent Laurie Blake; Tim Blake Nelson as Detective Looking Glass; Louis Gossett Jr. as Will Reeves; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Cal Abar; Tom Mison as Mr. Phillips; Frances Fisher as Jane Crawford and Sara Vickers as Ms. Crookshanks. Additional cast include Hong Chau as Lady Trieu, the mysterious trillionaire, Andrew Howard, Jacob Ming-Trent, Dylan Schombing and James Wolk. It will premiere in October.